NCAA says it's been investigating Miami for five months

CORAL GABLES — The NCAA said Wednesday it has been investigating the University of Miami for five months as a result of former booster Nevin Shapiro's allegations.

In a statement, NCAA president Mark Emmert also said that if Shapiro's claims are true, the conduct at UM illustrates the "need for serious and fundamental change" in college sports.

Shapiro, now serving a 20-year prison sentence for running a $930 million Ponzi scheme, told Yahoo! Sports he provided improper benefits to at least 72 UM athletes from 2002 to 2010, including 12 current football players.

Also Wednesday, UM president Donna Shalala made her first comments about the matter.

In a four-paragraph letter addressed to "The University Community," she said she is "upset, disheartened, and saddened by the recent allegations leveled against some current and past student-athletes and members of our Athletic Department."

"Make no mistake — I regard these allegations with utmost of seriousness and understand the concern of so many of you," Shalala said in the statement. "We will vigorously pursue the truth, wherever that path may lead, and I have insisted upon complete, honest, and transparent cooperation with the NCAA from our staff and students."

Players and coaches were noticeably subdued Wednesday morning, but the Hurricanes proceeded as usual on the field.

While their eligibility is in doubt, coach Al Golden said it was premature to sit them out now. NCAA investigators arrived on campus Monday to start conducting interviews. Players have been unavailable to reporters since then.

"As we get ready for Maryland, we'll hopefully swiftly and quickly learn if there were errors that were made," Golden said. "If there are guys that are going to have to sit out games, then we'll adjust our practice accordingly."

Regardless of what happens, "we'll get through this," Golden said.

He added, "If they were exposed to Mr. Shapiro, clearly we have to make sure we prevent that going forward. You do that by getting to the facts. How did this guy, if he did, get around our players like that? As a head coach, I want to know. I know our assistant coaches want to know. We want to make sure it never happens again. It shouldn't happen."

Golden said UM officials didn't tell him about Shapiro's allegations before he accepted the job.

"If they knew this was percolating, I believe they did have a responsibility to tell me. They had a responsibility to tell Shawn," said Golden, who was hired in December. Athletic Director Shawn Eichorst was hired in April.

UM said in a statement Tuesday it notified the NCAA of Shapiro's allegations "nearly a year ago." That came just before the start of Randy Shannon's final season as coach.

During his decade-long run as a booster, Shapiro came to be known as "Little Luke," a derivative of "Uncle Luke," nickname of entertainer Luther Campbell, who notoriously took care of UM players in the 1980s and 90s. Campbell took exception Wednesday to Shapiro calling himself "Little Luke" in the Yahoo! report and wrote a blog ripping the booster for associating himself with Campbell. Regardless, Shapiro was obviously a prominent figure within the program.

A source told the Associated Press on Wednesday that Shapiro's access to the Hurricanes' football and basketball programs was approved largely by former UM AD Kirby Hocutt, who left in February after three years for the same position at Texas Tech.

Hocutt responded in a statement Wednesday that "the benefits and experiences Mr. Shapiro received were consistent with those provided to others at his [booster] membership level. I never personally approved any special access for Mr. Shapiro to university athletics events or programs."